ABOUT

Owner & Dog Trainer 

judge thiara

Judge Thiara, founder of Bay Area K9 Training, was raised in Richmond, California where his passion for dogs began at an early age. Growing up around German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, and mixed-breed dogs helped shape his deep understanding and connection with canines from a young age.

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While attending college, Judge pursued dog training as a hobby and joined an intensive apprenticeship program in Stockton, California training under the mentorship of the late James Powell from 2009–2013. After completing the program, he founded Bay Area K9 Training in 2013 with the mission of helping dogs in need while providing owners with a higher level of communication, structure, and understanding through obedience and socialization training.

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Today, Judge consults privately with Bay Area K9 Training clients before they begin group training programs with the team’s other trainers. As the head trainer of the Board & Train Program, he specializes in building strong relationships between dogs and their owners through balanced, real-world training methods.

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Outside of working with clients, Judge remains deeply committed to the great outdoors while also advancing his craft by training his own Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd and German Shepherds in advanced obedience, agility, and q high level personal protection dog training. This isn't a job it's a lifestyle and we truly enjoy working with people that want to change their dogs behavior for the better the most.

Dog Trainer 

dEVIN

Devin is one of our dedicated trainers at Bay Area K9 Training with the team since 2017. He specializes in helping dogs build a strong foundation for advanced obedience through engaging food and toy-based training games that make learning both effective and rewarding.

Devin has a strong understanding of dog obedience and knows how to bring out the very best in each dog through his encouraging and patient teaching style. His ability to motivate dogs while building confidence and structure helps create reliable, well-balanced companions.

As an owner of Mastiff breed dogs - Devin has hands on experience on how to raise and work with large breed working dogs. His calm approach and understanding of canine behavior allows him to connect with dogs of all temperaments and skill levels. Devin is also a training decoy for our dogs in protection dog training classes. 

Kennel Technician 

maNUEL

Manuel is an important part of the Bay Area K9 Training team and has beeb apart of our team since 2020 and plays a major role in keeping our facility clean, organized, and running smoothly each day. His hard work behind the scenes helps ensure all of our canine students have a safe, sanitary, and comfortable environment to train, play, and thrive in.

Manuel works daily to maintain clean kennels, fresh water, sanitized food dishes, and organizes training equipment, helping uphold the high standards of care we provide for every dog in our board and train program. In addition to maintaining the facility, he also spends time engaging with our board and trains while trainers are in private sessions or away giving the dogs extra attention, interaction, and care throughout the day is just as important as training.

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A dependable team player with a positive attitude, Manuel is bilingual in Spanish and brings great energy to our training environment. As a dog owner himself to both a Boston Terrier and a Golden Retriever, he understands the importance of providing dogs with structure, cleanliness, and compassionate care.